Maryland baseball second baseman Nick Dunn earned All-Big Ten first team honors Tuesday, and first baseman and reliever Kevin Biondic was named to the second team, the conference announced.
Dunn led the Terps in nearly every offensive category in a breakout junior campaign that likely primes him to be an MLB draft selection in June. He posted career-highs in batting average, home runs and RBIs.
Dunn, whose 10 home runs this season were more than he hit the last two seasons combined, landed a spot on Baseball America’s top-five college second baseman draft prospects list. The Sunbury, Pennsylvania, native started every game of his career in College Park and guided a Terps lineup that struggled at times in 2018.
Biondic, meanwhile, improved at the plate after starting 16 games last season. He concluded his senior year with a .279 average and six homers. His two-run homer in the eighth inning April 1 helped Maryland come back against Northwestern and earn a series win.
Biondic hadn’t pitched for the Terps until his senior year, after he experimented with the Thunder Bay Border Cats of the Northwoods League last summer. He pitched to a 1.62 ERA in 16.2 innings during the summer.
For Maryland, with limited bullpen arms, Biondic appeared as a late-game option. Biondic developed into one of Maryland’s strongest pitchers, finishing with a 2.59 ERA in 24.1 innings. His success earned him second team honors as a utility player.
Left-hander Billy Phillips was also named Maryland’s Sportsmanship Award honoree, the team announced in a news release.
